Colorado cracks down on bear feeding with stricter law

Colorado has enacted a new law, House Bill 26-1342, that significantly tightens the state's approach to managing bear-human conflicts. The legislation, which was recently signed, lowers the legal threshold for enforcement from requiring proof of intentional feeding to allowing wildlife officers to issue citations when someone knowingly leaves out food, garbage, or other attractants that could draw bears, even without prior warning. This change reflects a growing urgency as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) reported a dramatic surge in bear encounters, with over 6,100 reports of sightings and conflicts by mid-August, already surpassing the total for all of 2025. The increase is attributed to drought conditions, wildfire impacts, and reduced natural food supplies, which are pushing bears into residential areas in search of easy calories. Under the new law, penalties escalate for repeat offenders, with a third or subsequent violation carrying fines up to $5,000. The measure aims to prevent bears from becoming food-conditioned, a behavior that often leads to property damage, dangerous encounters, and ultimately euthanasia. In 2025, CPW relocated 52 bears and euthanized 78 due to conflicts, according to the Denver Gazette. The law is part of a broader national trend, as states like California, Montana, and North Carolina have also implemented restrictions on feeding bears and managing attractants. However, some states, including Idaho, still permit regulated bear baiting for hunting, highlighting a divide in wildlife management between discouraging casual feeding and allowing controlled baiting for population control. For Colorado, the immediate priority is reducing the number of bears finding easy meals in neighborhoods, and officials hope stricter enforcement will discourage behaviors that often end badly for both people and bears.